What is the RMS Laconia attack?
What is the RMS Laconia attack?
RMS Laconia, carrying 2,732 crew, passengers, soldiers and prisoners of war, was torpedoed and sunk by U-156, a German U-boat, off the West African coast. Another U-boat, U-506, was also attacked by US aircraft and forced to dive. A total of 1,113 survivors were rescued; however, 1,619 were killed—mostly Italian POWs.
What happened to the RMS Laconia?
A German U-boat sinks a British troop ship, the Laconia, killing more than 1,400 men on September 12, 1942. The commander of the German sub, Capt. Werner Hartenstein, realizing that Italians POWs were among the passengers, strove to aid in their rescue.
Was the sinking of the Laconia a true story?
Dramatisation of the true story of the sinking of the liner Laconia by a German U-boat in 1942 through the eyes of six survivors. Dramatisation of the true story of the sinking of the liner Laconia by a German U-boat in 1942 through the eyes of six survivors.
Did U-boats pick up survivors?
They jumped into the shark-infested waters and swam for the remaining lifeboats as U-156 headed away from the danger zone. Fortunately, just hours later the Vichy French ships arrived and picked up most of the survivors and took them to Dakar, West Africa, from where they were sent to internment camps.
Did any German U-boats survived the war?
Two U-boats that survived Operation Deadlight are today museum ships. Having been captured, not surrendered at the end of the war, she survived to become a war memorial at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. U-995 was transferred to Norway by Britain in October 1948 and became the Norwegian Kaura.
What is the capital of Laconia?
Sparti
Laconia/Capitals
What beat the U-boats?
The combined efforts of RAF Coastal Command, the U.S. Army Air Forces, and the U.S. Navy defeated German U-boats in the disputed Bay of Biscay.
Where did the RMS Laconia go in World War 2?
The new ship was launched on 9 April 1921, and made her maiden voyage on 25 May 1922 from Southampton to New York City. At the outbreak of the Second World War she was converted into an Armed Merchant Cruiser, and subsequently a troopship. Like her predecessor, sunk during the First World War, this Laconia was also destroyed by a German submarine.
Who was the builder of the RMS Laconia?
Laconia was built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend, Northumberland. Launched on 9 April 1921, she was completed in January 1922.
Why did the U-156 sink the RMS Laconia?
At this time, German U-boats were patrolling the Atlantic to disrupt supplies being sent to Britain from the United States. In the evening of 12 September 1942, the submarine U-156 spotted RMS Laconia and they immediately thought that RMS Laconia was an armed troopship and not passenger ship.
What was the purpose of the Laconia ship?
The ship was carrying 2,732 crew, prisoners of war, passengers and soldiers. It was built in 1921 as a civilian ocean liner and was requisitioned to help with the war effort. By 1942 the Laconia had been converted into a troopship, and at the time of the incident, she was sailing from Cape Town, South Africa to Freetown in Sierra Leone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cq9bi9Wd_k